Recreation DepartmentPrint

The City of Countryside Recreation Department maintains and oversees six neighborhood parks, a Little League/Soccer park, the City’s Memorial Park and our flagship Countryside Park. Recreation Committee determines all recreational programming for Countryside residents and works with staff on planning City special events such as the Easter Egg Hunt, Concerts in the Park, Harvest Festival and Children’s Christmas Party.

The Recreation Committee is chaired by Alderman Jim Jasinski (Ward 1). The department is headed by Assistant City Administrator Sharon Peterson. The department also employs many part-time recreation coaches and supervisors.

City Parks

The pride of our City’s Recreation Department, Countryside Park is an 11-acre park where you will find two softball diamonds, a soccer field, playground equipment, lighted tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, a skate park, an inline hockey rink, bocce ball court, lighted walking path and two gazebos that are the location for summertime concerts. Countryside Park is located between 59th and 61st Streets, a half-block east of Brainard Avenue. The park is open from dawn to dusk.

Memorial Park, located on a triangular piece of property at the intersection of 55th St. and Plainfield Rd., was built during the City of Countryside’s 40th anniversary celebration in 2000. Once a dilapidated section of the community, the City of Countryside purchased the land and redeveloped it into a community focal point. Constructed in memory of those who served in the U.S. military, the park is the location of the City’s clock tower and carillon. The clock tower has become the most visible symbol of Countryside and was recently incorporated into the City’s logo. The carillon can be programmed to play up to 350 songs and can typically be enjoyed by park visitors at noon and 6pm each day, playing songs even more frequently during the winter holiday season.

City Park, located at 61st Street and Ashland Avenue near Countryside Plaza, contains a baseball/softball diamond and soccer field.

Ideal Park, on 58th St. east of LaGrange Rd. near Ideal School, also has lighted basketball and tennis courts, softball and baseball diamonds and playground equipment for children of all ages.

The City is also home to several Tot Lots and neighborhood parks that serve as recreation spaces and provide safe, modern playground equipment for our community’s younger residents. The neighborhood facilities include Brancato Tot Lot at Plainfield Road and Ashland Avenue, Srejma-Michalek Memorial Tot Lot at Lorraine Drive and Forestview Road, Hollands Park at Seventh Avenue and Bob-O-Link Drive, Countryside Playschool Lot at 5540 East Avenue, as well as Woodland Ridge Park in the Woodland Ridge Subdivision.

Recreation Programs and Special Events

The Countryside Recreation Department offers a variety of programs, mini-classes and special events for all ages.

• Youth Basketball
• Youth Floor Hockey
• Ponytail Softball
• Creative Cooking
• Arts and Crafts
• Little League Baseball
• YMCA Basketball
• YMCA Summer Camp
• Horsemanship Classes
• Karate
• Soccer
• Easter Egg Hunt
• Concerts in the Park
• Harvest Festival
• Children’s Christmas Party

Please do not hesitate to contact us at 708.482.3645 or e-mail recr@countryside-il.org should you have any further questions. The Adult Registration and Youth Registration Forms are available in Adobe Acrobat format in the Information Resources section of our website. Click here to go there now.